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Google releases smart watch for kids

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Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#361

Post by throwaway2037 »

quaintdev wrote: post #55
okso wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone else feel uneasy about the idea of children having to curb their behavior because they know they're being constantly monitored by their parents? This product concerns me not only due to corporate advertising surveillance but also parental spying.

And then when they finally break free they don't have any feedback mechanism that they had since childhood. This can go both ways. They might turn out to be model citizen or your worst nightmare. People raised children for 1000s of years without any technology. I bet we can do that too.

    > People raised children for 1000s of years without any technology. I bet we can do that too.
I love these comments. So, no vaccines for you and your kids, right?

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#362

Post by stickfigure »

godelski wrote: post #327
loughnane wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. 15/10/8 kids here. These are bad. A sibling comment said “everyone is free to do what they want”. I agree with that, but that doesn’t make everything good. In general I’m struck at how many people’s sense or “right” leans so hard on what’s available for sale.

> In general I’m struck at how many people’s sense or “right” leans so hard on what’s available for sale. I'm mostly confused how it seems there's pretty significant evidence that helicopter parenting[0] has resulted in poor outcomes for kids[1] but then we act as if the reason it fails is because we aren't paying __enough__ attention. I am sympathetic to parents wanting to protect their kids, but if the objective is…

I object to the idea that putting a smartwatch on your child is helicopter parenting. It can be exactly the opposite - if a little piece of technology allows kids to roam farther unsupervised, then it fosters independence.

I have never been accused of overparenting, yet I preordered one of these google watches. I expect to use it on outings like amusement parks and ski trips. We'll see how it goes.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#363

Post by bamboozled »

stickfigure wrote: post #193
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #106

Ugh, I threw up a little in my mouth just from the headline. This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. And yes, I totally admit, some kids (very few actually depending on the locale) didn't survive. But we've traded this false sense of "safety" for kids that are so risk averse it is seriously negatively…

I can only guess you (and most of the other naysayers in this thread) don't have young children. My wife and I have been looking for something exactly like this for our 6yo. I lost him on a ski slope once over a year ago and I think he's still traumatized. He recently was afraid of going on a class trip because he was afraid of getting lost. This isn't for teenagers. It's for kids that are still attached to mama/papa…

I thought the same, Ski resorts are classic places for kids to get lost, from now on, my kid will always have an AirTag in their pocket when on the ski resort.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#364

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #106

Ugh, I threw up a little in my mouth just from the headline. This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. And yes, I totally admit, some kids (very few actually depending on the locale) didn't survive. But we've traded this false sense of "safety" for kids that are so risk averse it is seriously negatively…

Watch out for HN commenters who cannot distinguish between the idea of

(a) a wrist watch that allows parents to track their children with no obligation to share this information with anyone, and

(b) a wrist watch than allows Google to track and collect data on peoples' children and share some but not all of the data with the childrens' parents.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#365

Post by danielmarkbruce »

khazhoux wrote: post #346
jagged-chisel wrote: post #341

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the important part is whether the children are affected by the tracking. Is it a big deal if they don’t have service and you can’t Find them for a couple hours? Mine are grown now, but I’ve always told them: I’m not worried about where you are, I want to know where to go when something happens and you need a rescue. I want them to have the peace of mind that, if needed, the safety net is within reach. When I…

> I think the important part is whether the children are affected by the tracking I have no reason to think they're impacted by me knowing where they are. They're confident, run around for hours, and are growing up just fine. So what if their parents can look up their location... big deal. Pushing the alarmist argument, though: should I just take away their cell phones, to give them the same experience I had growing…

No TV, no video games, no smart watches, no vaccines, no doctor visits, no stored food, no radio, no refrigerators, no nothing. You came from 1000 generations who survived just fine without them. Everything must stay the same.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#366

Post by pavelstoev »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #106

Ugh, I threw up a little in my mouth just from the headline. This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. And yes, I totally admit, some kids (very few actually depending on the locale) didn't survive. But we've traded this false sense of "safety" for kids that are so risk averse it is seriously negatively…

I strongly disagree with your comment. First of all, ALL kids must survive, not most. Safety and safety of knowing are two different things. Lastly, this tech looks a lot less intrusive than the current another watch that everyone is getting for their kids — this one appears to have more activity-engaging features.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#367

Post by lolinder »

godelski wrote: post #349
wonderwonder wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why? What's the harm with knowing where your minor kids or opted in spouse are? Honest question.

Your kids don't learn independence and how to be self sufficient. After all, the goal is to make your kids into self-sufficient adults who can survive and navigate a complex world without your help. Being over protective (which is a natural instinct) can lead to children being overly dependent and not learning to be (to put in the most HN way possible) generalist agents. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40519118

> Your kids don't learn independence and how to be self sufficient.

Doesn't this depend on how the tracking is used, not on whether the tracking is present at all?

My wife and I share our location with each other and I don't actually know if she uses my location at all. If she does, she doesn't mention it. I use it occasionally to get a sense for when to expect her back or to find her when we need to meet up for something.

When our kids are old enough to have phones I imagine that we'll add them to the location-sharing circle we have and continue to use it in much the same way. For us it won't be about monitoring them at all times, it's just a helpful convenience for running a household.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#369

Post by pavelstoev »

danielmarkbruce wrote: post #365
khazhoux wrote: post #346

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think the important part is whether the children are affected by the tracking I have no reason to think they're impacted by me knowing where they are. They're confident, run around for hours, and are growing up just fine. So what if their parents can look up their location... big deal. Pushing the alarmist argument, though: should I just take away their cell phones, to give them the same experience I had growing…

No TV, no video games, no smart watches, no vaccines, no doctor visits, no stored food, no radio, no refrigerators, no nothing. You came from 1000 generations who survived just fine without them. Everything must stay the same.

Keyword - survived.

Everything must become better.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#370

Post by cwalv »

TomJansen wrote: post #124
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #106

Ugh, I threw up a little in my mouth just from the headline. This constant tracking of kids is unnecessary and dangerous. Generations of kids survived without their parents needing to know their location at all times. And yes, I totally admit, some kids (very few actually depending on the locale) didn't survive. But we've traded this false sense of "safety" for kids that are so risk averse it is seriously negatively…

I agree with this 1000%. Kids need to be free and explore things on their own. Why are we living in a world where we think that kids do not deserve privacy? Or where we think that we cannot trust our children?

What age of kids are you talking about? How much privacy do you think a 6yo deserves?
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